Questions

[Michael]

1. When is an outline too long or too short for a proposal?

2. Is acceptable to refer to actual models or brands of cars and such in fiction (such as "Dodge")?

Thanks in advance.

[Princess Ivy]

to the best of my knowledge:
1. depends on the publisher selected. most that i have applied to request first chapter and ten thousand words.
2. so long as you're not derogretory (sp).

[Michael]

Thank you, Ivy.

[littlemissattitude]

2. Is acceptable to refer to actual models or brands of cars and such in fiction (such as "Dodge")?

Stephen King does it all the time, and I don't think he's run into any problems with it. He uses real brand names for cars, fast food joints, and all kinds of other things. I think he had a killer Coke (anyway, a real brand of soda) machine in "Tommyknockers" - not something Coke would probably really like (especially in view of the statistic I heard in a news story a couple of days ago that more people are killed each year by vending machines than by shark attacks ), but they probably didn't make a stink about it.

[Teresa Edgerton]

Outline is a word that people tend to use rather loosely. It could mean a chapter by chapter outline (in which case the length would depend on how many chapters), or it could mean a 1-3 page synopsis.

A standard partial is three chapters and a three page synopsis, but sometimes editors or agents will specifically ask for less, or for something different entirely. When in doubt, ask.